Neuro Flashcards
Causes of headaches in children?
Primary
* migraine
* tension
* cluster
Secondary:
* Meningitis (esp. viral)
* encephalitis
* abscess
* head injury
* Reye syndrome
* sinusitis
* medicaiton overuse
* substance abuse or withdrawal
* menstruation
* malignant hypertension (check BP)
* idiopathic
* intracranial hypertension (raised ICP)
* stress
* behavioural
* infection e..g ENT
* brain tumour
* carbon monoxoide poisoning
Red flags for headaches in children?
LOTS !
- fever
- altered consciousness
- suddent onset
- worse in morning
- varies with posture
- wrose with cough / valsava
- wakes from sleep
- unexplained vomitting (esp. early morning)
- recent head trauma
- young <4 years
- bulging fontanelle
- neurological signs
- visual disturbance
- rapidly increasing head circumference
- cognitive decline
- history of malignancy
- immunosuppressed
- early or late puberty
- signs of raised inctracranial pressure.
What are the presenting features of tension headache in children?
site, charachter, relevant negatives
- mild ache across the forehead diffuse
- pain or pressure in a band-like pattern around the head
- comes on and resolve gradually 30min - 7 days
- symmetrical
Negatives:
* no visual changes
* no pulsating sensations.
* not excaerbated by activity
* no nausea / vommitting
day to day symptoms of tension headache that might present in the history for younger children?
- often very non-specific in younger children.
- quiet
- stop playing
- turn pale tired.
- They tend to resolve more quickly in children compared with adults, often within 30 minutes.
Triggers for tension headaches in children?
- Stress, fear or discomfort
- Skipping meals
- Dehydration
- Infection
Management of tension headache in children?
- Reassurance
- Analgesia - Paracetemol / ibuprofen
- Regular meals
- Avoiding dehydration
- Reducing stress.
Migraines are a complex neurological condition that cause headache and other associated symptoms. They occur in “attacks” that often follow a typical pattern.
What are different types of migraine?
- Migraine without aura
- Migraine with aura
- Silent migraine (migraine with aura but without a headache)
- Hemiplegic migraine
- Abdominal migraine
Symptoms of migraine in children? What are they often associated with?
- Unilateral
- More severe
- Throbbing in nature last 1-72 hours
- Take longer to resolve
Associated with:
* Visual aura
* Photophobia and phonophobia
* Nausea and vomiting
* Abdominal pain
* vertigo
* visual or senory aura
* aggravated by physical activity
Triggers for migraines in children?
- diet
- dehydration
- overtiredness
- stress
Management of migraines in children?
- Rest, fluids and low stimulus environment
- Paracetamol
- Ibuprofen
- Sumatriptan if above does not work and >12yrs
- Antiemetics, such as domperidone (unless contraindicated)
If migraines are having a big impact on life e.g. missing school / frequent what options are there for prophylactic treatment for migraines to reduce frequency / severity ?
- Propranolol (avoid in asthma)
- Pizotifen (often causes drowsiness)
- Topiramate (girls with child bearing potential need highly effective contraception as it is very teratogenic).
Non drug:
* get enough sleep
* avoid triggers
What are abdominal migraines? how do they present?
- common in children especially young children
- central abdominal pain > 1 hour
- Nausea and vomiting
- Anorexia
- Headache
- Pallor
pt with possible migraines ask about abdo pain as a child.
What are abdominal migraines? how do they present?
- common in children especially young children
- central abdominal pain > 1 hour
- Nausea and vomiting
- Anorexia
- Headache
- Pallor
pt with possible migraines ask about abdo pain as a child.
Infections can cause headaches: what common infections should you check for? When should headache resolve if these are the cause?
- viral upper respiratory tract infection, otitis media, sinusitis and tonsillitis.
- headache should resolve along with the infection.
- Paracetamol and ibuprofen for symptomatic relief.
How can sinusitis cause headache? what symptoms does this cause? what is the cause of most sinusitis?
- causes a headache associated with inflammation in the ethmoidal, maxillary, frontal or sphenoidal sinuses.
- facial pain behind the nose, forehead and eyes.
- tenderness over the effected sinuses
- Sinusitis usually resolves within 2 – 3 weeks.
- Most sinusitis is viral.
Subdural haemorrhage why is it important to think of non - accidental injury?
- SDH in children <2 yrs is big cause of mortality and morbidity
- significant number are caused by purposeful inflicted trauma
What are some causes of subdural haemorrhage in children?
- Trauma (including traumatic labour).
- Neurosurgical complications.
- Cerebral infections.
- Coagulation and haematological disorders.
- Metabolic causes (glutaric aciduria, galactosaemia).
- Biochemical disorders (hypernatraemia).
oxford handbook of paediatrics
What are symptoms / signs of acute subdural haemorrhage in children?
- Encephalopathy (irritability, lethargy, focal neurological signs).
- Vomiting, poor feeding.
- Breathing abnormalities, apnoea.
- Pallor, shock.
- Tense fontanelle.
- Seizures (more frequently in inicted than non-inicted injury).
Symptoms signs of chronic subdural haemorrhage in children?
- Expanding head circumference.
- Vomiting
- failure to thrive
- Neurological deficit.
- Associated conditions
What is an opthalmolgy finding you might get in a non-accidental head inhury (NAHI) i.e. in a child with a subdural haemorrhage.
- retinal haemorrhages are strongly associated with NAHI
- however : not specific for diagnosis
- child with heady injury have an opthalmoligst assess
A child presenting with a bleed in brain i.e. subdural haemorrhage what causes do you need to exlude? What tests would you do?
Coagulation and haematological disorders need to be excluded.
Tests:
* FBC, platelet count, blood film.
* Renal and liver function tests to rule out numerous acquired coagulation defects
What brain imaging for a child with subdural haemorrhage?
Initial investigation is likely to be CT, but MRI will also be necessary.
Management of subdural haemorrhage?
Hx, tests, assessment, referral etc
- Take full social, medical, and family history.
- Skeletal survey.
- Clotting assessment.
- Store urine in case needed for organic acids (GA1 rare cause of spontaenous SDH).
- Arrange ophthalmology assessment.
- Treat sequelae of SDH: depends on presentation (e.g. seizures and AEDs) and resuscitation needs.
- Complete safeguarding procedures: involve external agencies (e.g. social services, police).
- Multidisciplinary and specialist follow-up
Management of subdural haemorrhage?
Hx, tests, assessment, referral etc
- Take full social, medical, and family history.
- Skeletal survey.
- Clotting assessment.
- Store urine in case needed for organic acids (GA1 rare cause of spontaenous SDH).
- Arrange ophthalmology assessment.
- Treat sequelae of SDH: depends on presentation (e.g. seizures and AEDs) and resuscitation needs.
- Complete safeguarding procedures: involve external agencies (e.g. social services, police).
- Multidisciplinary and specialist follow-up
Epilepsy in children: how is it defined? what type of seizures are most common?
- Defined by (mostly) unprovoked, recurrent seizures - transient episodes of abnormal electrical activity in the brain.
- 1% per cent of children will have one afebrile seizure by the age of 14yrs
- The majority will be generalized tonic–clonic (GTC) episodes.
What are generalsied tonic-clonic seizures?
- loss of consciousness and tonic (muscle tensing) and clonic (muscle jerking) movements.
- Typically the tonic phase comes before the clonic phase.
What other symptoms happen in a generalised tonic-clonic seizures with? what happens after the seizure?
- associated tongue biting, incontinence, groaning and irregular breathing.
- prolonged post-ictal period where the person is confused, drowsy and feels irritable or low.
Treatment for tonic-clonic seizures?
- First line: sodium valproate
- Second line: lamotrigine or carbamazepine
What is epilepsy ?
This is a tendency to recurrent, unprovoked seizures (abnormal electrical brain activity).
1% of children will have a seizure (not associated with fever) by the age of 14 years.
oxhandbook of specialities : paediatrics
What are types of generalised seizures you might get?
Usually a loss of awareness and can be:
- Generalised tonic/ clonic
- absences
- Infantile spasms
- other e.g. tonic, atonic, clonic, myoclonic
Describe briefly the following type of seizure: generalised tonic/clonic seizure
How is it managed?
GTC or grand mal:
* limbs stien (the tonic phase) and then jerk forcefully (clonic phase), with loss of consciousness.
* prolonged post-ictal period where the person is confused, drowsy and feels irritable or low.\
* may be associated tongue biting, incontinence, groaning and irregular breathing.
Management of tonic-clonic seizures is with:
* First line: sodium valproate
* Second line: lamotrigine or carbamazepine
Describe briefly the following type of seizure and tell me how it is managed: Absences (petit mal)
- typically in children
- blank, stares into space and then abruptly back to normal
- brief (eg 10-20 sec) pauses (‘He stops in mid-sentence, and carries on where he left off’)
- eyes may roll up
- he/she is unaware of the attack.
Management:
* First line: sodium valproate or ethosuximide